Railway switch and intersection



Feb. 9, 1937. v. THEODOS I RAILWAY SWITCH AND INTERSECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25, 1935 INVENT OR.

144 N GEL THEOOOS I ATTORNEYS.

u l u uu Feb. 9, 1937. v. THEODOS RAILWAY SWITCH AND INTERSECTION Filed May 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MM LL III' l l u INVENT OR.

VANeEL THEqoos Patented Feb. 9. 1937 TA f.

6 Claims.

This invention relates to railway switches generally and has for its objects improved construc tion in such switches whereby the parts having greatest wear in use are easily and quickly re- 5 placed Without digging up the entire switch and the parts most susceptible to use are rendered more durable than heretofore. Another object is a construction whereby railway intersections and switches are rigidly connected and their matching with the continuing rails of the main railway line is facilitated. Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and drawings.

'In the drawings, Fig. l is a plan view of my switch with a portion of the base frame broken away and the continuing rails connecting to the switch at its opposite ends being indicated in dotted line.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with the movable tongue of the switch shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable block portion'of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tongue of the switch of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of Fig. 1 taken along the line 55 of Fig. 1, a portion of the pin on the tongue being shown in elevation.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side View of one of the pins adapted to secure parts of the switch together.

Fig. 7 is another elevation view of the pin shown in Fig. 6, with the pin in a slightly different position.

Fig. 8 is a reduced plan view of the switch of Fig. 1 and the mate on the opposite rail including the base frame, small details being omitted for simplicity.

Fig. 9 shows a full intersecting crossing in 4 which crossing blocks are shown at four points on a base frame.

In detail, i is a horizontal base plate of relatively heavy rolled sheet metal supporting thereon and welded thereto substantially parallel elongated blocks A, B, which are spaced the normal track gauge for supporting the wheels of cars. Block A is the operating switch and block B is the ordinary mate, or may be identical with block A if desired. In making up the assembly,

the blocks are first cast and then properly spaced on the rolled sheet metal base plate and welded thereto, thus providing an integral and complete switch or intersection assembly for both rails of the main line and the rails of a connecting line.

= This construction fully overcomes the problem of having variations in shrinkage of metal where the two blocks and base are attempted to be cast as a unit. The base plate is cut out centrally by a torch between the blocks to reduce weight, as indicated. 5

Block A comprises an elongated casting of general box-like form with longitudinal slightly divergently extending side walls 2, 3, and end walls l, 5, and a horizontally extending top 6 extending between the side and ends. The sides 2, v3 ex- 0 tend upwardly above top 6 to the same height and the ends 4, 5, terminate at their upper ends slightly below the upper surface of top 6 providing shoulders l, 8, at the opposite end edges of the top. The lower edges of the sides and ends 1-5 are welded to the top of the base plate as indicated and side 3 has an opening 9 therein covered by a plate H] removably bolted thereto, thus providing access to the inside of the casting for connecting or disconnecting operating parts of the switch, later described.

The side 3 of the casting above the top 6 is longitudinally shouldered at H and the upper surface of the top '6 is provided with a longitudinal groove adjacent said side 3, the side of the groove opposite side 3 being downwardly inclined toward side 3 and the side 3 below shoulder H is likewise downwardly inclined toward the opposite side of the groove, thus providing a tapered, longitudinally extending seat for receiving the tapered lower portion of a horizontal, elongated, specially hardened steel casting l3, which casting is provided with a shoulder 53 along one side adapted to seat on shoulder II. This casting 13 does not extend the full depth of the 35 groove, thus providing a space between the lower edge thereof and the bottom of the groove that is filled with Babbitt metal, as indicated at l3, as is a slight space between the side 3 and the hardened steel casting i3. 40

At its opposite ends the casting l3 has laterally projecting members i i, i5 cast therewith, the member i4 being adapted to extend across the narrower end of the block between sides 2 and 3 and the member l5 adapted to extend across the 45 wider end of the block and across the end edge of side wall 2. The hardened steel casting i3 is fiat on top and the top is flush with the upper edge of side 3, and the side surface it of the casting remote from side 3 is vertical and fiat and slightly 5 curved from end to end and is wider at the narrow end of block A than at the opposite end. The member H. is transversely grooved thereacross at IT across one end, and member i5 is transversely grooved thereacross at spaced points I8, 19, the 55 groove I 8 being adjacent the casting I3 and groove I9 being adjacent the end of side 2.

On the top surface of the top wall 6 and between side surface I6 (casting I3) and side 2 is an elongated tapered switch tongue 20, the point of which is adjacent member I4 and the base adjacent member I5. On the under side of the tongue at its base end and slightly spaced from said end is a downwardly projecting cylindrical pin 2I formed with an enlarged hub 22 adjacent the tongue, the pin and tongue, including the hub, being integrally cast together as one piece, and the tongue, pin and hub are of specially hardened cast similar to the casting I3.

The top wall 6 of the main supporting casting is formed with a downwardly extending bearing 23 for the pin and hub of the tongue with a bronze bushing 24 therein adapted to rotatably receive the pin. The bore of the bearing proper is recessed around its upper edge to receive an upper flanged edge of the bushing, and a wear plate may be inserted betweenhub 22 and the flange of the bushing, if desired.

It is to be noted that the base end of the tongue is arcuately curved from the axis of the pin H as at and the inner surface of the member I5 is similarly curved. The curved base end of the tongue is therefore slidable against the inner curved side of the member I5.

Along opposite lateral sides of the tongue adjacent the base end thereof are flanges 25, 26 that project laterally therefrom adjacent the lower surface of the tongue, which flanges are tapered tocome to relatively sharp outer edges respectively. Thus, when the tongue is pivoted about the pin, they will tend to clean the top 6 over which they slide and will force any foreign material upwardly instead of compressing it between the sides of the tongue and sides 2 and I6. The

flange is adjacent side 2 and is continued to the point of the tongue, although the, sharpened edge thereof terminates substantially midway between the opposite ends of the tongue.

Spaced from the point of the tongue is a depending lug 21 that extends downwardly through an opening in the top 6. This lug is provided with a transverse opening in which is secured one end of the switch operating rod 28 that extends through an opening in the side 2 (below top 6) to a conventional electric or hand operated switch lever. A coil spring 29 is generally on rod 28 interposed between the lug and side 3 so as to normally hold the point of the tongue over adjacent side surface I 6 of the casting I3.

In the drawings (Fig. 1) the tongue is shown away from the side I6 for the purpose of exposing several laterally extending lugs 33 projecting from side surface I6 to overlie top wall 6, which pins assist in supporting the casting I3 when the babbitt is poured for seating the same, and the ends of the lugs also form a stop for the switch tongue at the pointed end of the latter.

The casting I3 is secured in place by pins 32 that extend downwardly and outwardly through side 3 at several spaced points, the upper ends of the pins being positioned in recesses formed in the upper edges of the casting so as to virtually constitute a toe-nailing of the casting in position. Adjacent the opposite sides of said recesses formed in the casting I3 are outwardly projecting ears 33 adapted to fit into recesses formed in the side 3 and at the points where these pins project through side 3 said side is thickened as indicated in the drawings. The lower ends of the pins re spectively are split as at 34 and stop members 35 are formed adjacent the upper ends of the pins adapted to engage the side 3 to limit downward V movement of the pins. When the pins are in position, the ends 34 are spread, thus tightening the pins in position and preventing their withdrawal. The stops 35 also prevent turning of the pins, as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,979,583, dated November 6, 1,934. A similar pin 32 extends through an offset portion at one end of side 2 adjacent the end of member I5, said member being recessed and provided with cars 33' on opposite sides thereof the same as along side 3. The member I4 is toe-nailed to the end of side a adjacent thereto in a similar manner.

Projecting from end wall 5 are a pair of spaced ribs 36, 31 overlying base I and adapted for lateral bolting to the vertical webs of a pair of divergently extending rails 36, 31 (shown in dotted line) and a single similar rib 38 projects outwardly of opposite end wall 4 for similar bolting thereto of a rail 38 (in dotted line), said ribs being free of any securement along their lower edges to permit the base flange of the rail to pass thereunder, and to permit slight lateral bending of the ribs if desired. 7

These ribs are so positioned as to secure the rails in position so that a wheel, the tread of which is adapted to run on the upper surface of casting I3, will pass from rail 38' onto the casting and onto rail 36 when the pointed end of the switch tongue is disposed adjacent wall 2,- the cross groove I! in end member I 4 being adapted to pass the flange of the wheel and groove I8 passing the flange at member I5. When the switch tongue is oppositely thrown the wheel will run with its tread on the'tongue and onto rail 31, the flange of the wheel passing through groove I9.

Thetongue and casting I3 receive the principal wear, and since the base of the tracks at opposite ends of the switch are supported at their ends on base I, there is no yielding of the switch and rails relatively at their connecting ends which reduced pounding at the ends of the switch, and any wear on the tongue and casting I3 is readily rectified by quickly removing these parts, without disturbing the rest of the switch, and replacing them.

Insofar as the construction is concerned relative to the mounting of the switch and mate on the base plate, this is equally applicable to any intersection of rails, whether strictly a switch, or otherwise, and the use of the term intersection in the claims is intended to cover such feature in other types of intersections, such as crossovers as indicated in Fig. 8, wherein a parallelogram-shaped crossoveris shown with fourseparate crossing blocks welded to a base plate I, the connecting rails being adapted to be laterally bolted to the ribs 40 formed between the crossing blocks and the stub ribs extending outwardly of each crossing block, in the same manner as ribs 35 to 38 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A railway switch comprising an elongated casting provided with a flat top portion, a switch tongue on said flat top portion, means pivotally supporting the tongue thereon, said means comprising a depending, vertical shaft secured to the tongue adjacent one end thereof and a bearing in thecasting rotatably supporting said shaft therein, an elongated car-wheel supporting member positioned adjacent a side of said tongue independently of any securement to said tongue and extending from end to end thereof, a recess formed in said casting adapted to form a seat for said supporting member and means removably securing said supporting member in said seat.

2. In a construction as defined in claim 1, said tongue being horizontally arcuately formed at one end about the axis of said shaft, and said supporting member including a horizontally extending projection extending across the arcuately formed end of the tongue, said projection being formed on its side adjacent the end of the tongue to provide a bearing for said arcuately formed end of the tongue.

3. In a construction as defined in claim 1, said supporting member being provided with horizontally projecting portions at opposite ends thereof extending respectively across the outer opposite ends of said tongue.

4. In a construction as defined in claim 1, said supporting member being provided with horizontally projecting portions at opposite ends thereof extending respectively across the outer opposite ends of said tongue, said portions being cross grooved to pass the flanges of the car wheels, and outwardly projecting ribs at opposite ends of said casting adjacent the grooves in the portions at the ends of said supporting member for securing the ends of continuing rail sections thereto.

5. A railway switch comprising an elongated casting, a switch tongue pivotally mounted on said casting and directly supported thereon, an elongated member adapted to support a car-wheel for running thereover positioned adjacent said tongue, means removably securing said elongated member on the casting, said elongated member being provided with a laterally projecting portion at one end thereof extending across one end of said tongue.

6. A railway switch comprising an elongated casting, a switch tongue pivotally mounted on said casting and directly supported thereon, an elongated member adapted to support a car-wheel for running thereover positioned adjacent said tongue, means removably securing said elongated member on the casting, said elongated member being provided with a laterally projecting portion at one end thereof extending across an end of said tongue, said portion being grooved for passing the flange of said car wheel.

VANGEL THEODOS. 

